It was the redemption round that Marquette women’s basketball (15-7, 9-4 Big East) was waiting for ever since Georgetown (12-10, 5-8 Big East) left the Al McGuire Center on Jan. 17.
After the Golden Eagles’ dreadful first half in their last matchup with the Hoyas, they were able to turn it around Sunday evening in a 67-59 victory, their fourth in a row.
After Sunday, the blue & gold’s defensive abilities have held five opponents to 60 points or less on their home courts in seven games. Points in the paint maintained its importance to head coach Cara Consuegra, and Marquette outscored Georgetown 32-30 in the key.
It was a game that felt like home for Lee Volker. The Purcellville, Va. native was just one hour away from where she grew up, which meant she had a fan base present. And she made sure to put on a show.
Even in the face of the Hoyas pushing some tough defensive pressure right out of the gate in the first frame, a two-and-a-half-minute scoring drought meant it was showtime for the graduate guard. When the scramble began, and the Golden Eagles had a panicked look on their faces, Volker found her way to dish it out.
Marquette managed just four points in the first quarter the last time out, its lowest all season, but Volker managed to outscore that total herself with 10 points, scoring 62 percent of their total points. She finished the night as the team’s leading scorer with 22, shooting 4-for-6 from beyond the arc.
Volker’s energy kick-started the squad’s energy, making room for a 14-point lead in the second quarter. It was a battle for points in the paint. Bodies on the floor, trying to make every possession matter to its fullest potential.
In a scramble, one of those bodies on the floor happened to be Olivia Porter’s. The senior guard went down with five minutes to go in the first half. Porter was helped off the court and limped her way back out to take a seat on the bench, where she spent the rest of the match.
Outshooting the Hoyas from the field and downtown, the Golden Eagles held a comfortable 26-12 advantage. But as Marquette has proved in their recent competitions, leads can slip away at any time. And once again, it did, as Georgetown cut the deficit to four going into the locker room.
Trading baskets, a layup from junior forward Brianna Byars made it a one-point game at 6:17 in the third.
Then in came Marquette’s ‘X-factor’ Jaidynn Mason. The senior guard ripped a moonball three to extend her individual 7-0 run despite the pressure the Hoyas were forcing.
From then on, the Golden Eagles were able to ride their cushion to victory. But not without Georgetown once again making headway, cutting the loss to eight points.
Up next, Marquette travels back home to face the Providence Friars on Wednesday, Feb. 4. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CST.
This article was written by Raquel Ruiz. She can be reached at raquel.ruiz@marquette.edu or on Twitter/X @RaquelRuizMU.